Part of Du Bartas English and French, and in his owne kinde of verse, so neare the French Englished, as may teach an English-man French, or a French-man English. With the commentary of S.G. S. By William L'Isle of Wilburgham, Esquier for the Kings body.

C'est ainsi que Noë sa prison adoucit, Enchante sa tristesse, * 1.1 & le temps acourcit, Nayant espoir qu'en Dieu, quiresserrant les veines D'où surgeonnoyent sans fin tant de viues fontaines: Arrestant l'eau du ciel, & faisant que les airs Raffermissent tancez, les digues de leurs mers, Met les vents en besongne. * 1.2 O balais de la terre, Frais esuentaus du ciel, ô des forests la guerre, O mes herauts, dit-il, postes & messagers: O mes nerfs, ô mèsbras: vous oiscaux, qui legers Parl'air trainé mon char, quand ma bouche allumee Ne souffle que brassiers, que souffre, que sumce: Que le foudre est monsceptre: & que l'effroy, le bruit, L'horreur roule àtrauers l'espesseur d'vne nuict: Esueillez-vous, courez, humez de vos haleines L'eau qui desrobe au ciel & les monts & les plaines.

Labrigade des vents àsa voix obeit: * 1.3 L'orgueil plus escumeux de l'eau s'esuanouit: La mer fait saretraite: & la Carraque saincte Prend terre sur vn mont, dont les astres ont crainte, Qui se perd dans le ciel, & qui void, sourcilleux, Presque dessous ses pieds mille monts orgueilleux.

Noe, * 1.4 qui ce-pendant a'vn doux espoir s'allete, Donne la clef des champs au Corbeau, qui volete Antour des monts voisins: & voyant tout noyé Varetrouuer celuy qui l'auoit enuoyé.

La Colombe sortant par la fenestre ouuerte Fait quelques iours apres vne autre descouuerte: Et coguoissant qu'encore la marine est sans bort, Lasse de tant ramer, se sauue dans le Fort.

Mais sept-fois par le ciel Phebus n'a fait la ronde, Qu'elle reprend le vol pour espier le Monde: Et rapporte à la fin en son bec vnrameau

D'Oliuier palle-gris encore mi-couuert d'eau.

O bien-heureux presage! O plaisante nouuelle! O mystere agreable! Io, la Colombelle Paisible port au bec le paisible rainseau Dieu fait paix auec nous: & d'au si sacre seau Authorize, benin, son auguste promesse, Qu'au combat on verrasans rage la Tigresse, Le Lyon sans audace, & le Lieure sans peur, Plus-tost qu'ànos despens il se monstre trompeur. O primice des fruicts, ôsacré-saincte Oliue, Branche annonce-salut, soit que turestes viue Apre's le long degast d'vn Deluge enragé, Ie m'esgaye que l'eau n'apoint tout rauagé: Soit que, baisé le slot, ta verdeur rebourgeonne, I'admire la bonté du grand Dieu, qui redonne, L'ame à tant darbres morts, & dans moins d'vn moment Decore l'Ʋniuers d'vn nouueau parement.

Noé parle en la sorte. * 1.5 Or combien que le Monde Monstrast ja la plus part de ses Iles sur l'onde, Luy presentant logis: qu'enuieilli dans sa nuict Il descouure vn Soleil qui sauorable luit: Qu'vn air infect l'estouffe en si puante estable: Il ne veut desloger, que Dieu n'ait agreable Son desembar quement, & que deuotieux, * 1.6 Iln'entende tonner quelque oracle des cieux.

Mais si tost que Dieu parle il sorte de sa cauerne, Ou plustost des cachots d'vn pestilent Auerne Auec Sem, Cham, Iaphet, sa femme, ses trois Brus, Et cent & cent façons, soit d'animaux pollus, Soit de purs animaux: Car le sainct Patriarche En auoit de tout genre enclos dedans son Arche.

* 1.7 11 Thus Noah past the time and lesned all their harme Of irkesome prisonment with such like gentle charme, His hope was onely in God, who stopping now the vaines, Whence issued-out before so many wells and raines, Chidde th'aire, * 1.8 and bid her shut the flood-gate of her seas; And sent North-windes abroad; go ye (quoth he) and case The Land of all this ill, ye cooling fannes of Heau'n, Earths broomes and warre of woods, my herauts, posts, and cau'n My sinnows and mine armes; ye birds that hale so lightly My charriot ore the world, when as in cloud so nightly With blasting scept'r in hand I, thundring rage and ire, From smoaky flamed mouth breathe sulph'r and coles of fire.

Awake (I say) make hast, and soop the wat'r away, That hides the Land from Heau'n, & robs the world of day.

The winds obey his voice, the flood beginnes t'abate, The Sea retireth backe, 12 * 1.9 And th' Arch in Ararate Lands on a mountains head, that seem'd to threat the skie, And troad downe vnd'r his feet a thousand hills full high.

13 Now Noes heart reioic'd with sweet conceit of hope, * 1.10 And for the Rau'n to flie he sets a casement ope. To find some resting place the bird soares round-about; And finding none, returnes to him that sent her out: Who few daies after sends the Doue, another spie, That also came againe, because she found no drie.

But after senights rest, * 1.11 he sends her out againe, To search if any Land yet peer'd aboue the maine; Behold an Oliue branch she brings at length in beake:

Then thus the Patriarch with ioy began to speake. O happie signe! o newes, the best that could be thought! O mysterie most-desir'd! Io, the Doue hath brought, The gentle Doue hath brought a peacefull Oliue-bough: God makes a truce with vs, and so sure sealeth now The patent of his Loue and heau'nly promises, That sooner shall we see the Tyger furylesse, The Lyon fight in seare, the Leuret waxen bold, Then him against our hope his woonted grace with-hold. O first fruit of the world! O holy Oliue-tree! O saufty-boading branch for wheth'r aliue thou be And wert all while the flood destroyd all else, I ioy That all is not destroyd: or if, since all th'anoy, That waters brought on all, so soone thou did'st rebudde, I wonder at the Lord that is so mightie and good: To ralliue euery plant, and in so short a space Cloath all the world anew in liueries of his grace.

14 So said he: * 1.12 yet (although the flood had so reflowd, That all about appeerd some Islets thinly strew'd, Him offring where to rest: although he spied a bright, And cheerefull day amid his age-encreasing night: Although th'infected ayre of such a nastie stall Ny choakt him) would he not come forth before the call Of God that sent him in: before some thunder-steauen For warran•• of his act gaue Oracle from Heauen.

No sooner spake the Lord, * 1.13 but he comes out of Cell, Or rath'r out of dennes, of some infectious Hell, With Sem, Cham, and laphet, his wise and daughters three, And all the kinds of Bruits that pure or impure be, Of hundred hundred shapes: for th'holy Patriarch Had some of euery sort enclosd with him i'th'Arch.

11. Thus Noah. In the beginning of the 8. Chap. of Gen. Moses re∣ports that God remembred Noe and euery beast, and all the cattell that were with him in the Arke; and made a wind passe vpon the earth; and the waters ceased. This the Poet expoundeth, giuing by the way very proper Epithites vnto the winds: and such also as are mentioned in the Psalmes 18. and 104. This wind dried the earth by degrees, and caused the waters to retire into

their proper place of deepe Sea and Chanels; for the waters enterlaced with the earth make but one globe: And though at the Deluge, by Gods appointment, they went out far beyond their bounds to drowne the wick∣ed; yet when the same God would deliuer his seruant Noe out of danger, at his command they remasse themselues into their wonted heap, furthe∣red thereunto by the winds; and there continue so setled, that they passe

not the bounds of an ordinarie ebbe and flow. This is done by the power of God, and for the promise he made to Noe, that there should be no more generall Flood, to destroy the earth.

12. And th'Arke. The Poet here calls it the Holy Carraque, as built by the commandement of God, and containing his Church. On the seuenth day of the seuenth moneth (saith Moses, Gen. 8.4.) rested the Arke vpon the Mountaines of Ararat. Some by this name vnderstand the great Armenia; others, the top of Caucasus. So Goropius, who there∣upon discourseth at large in the 5. booke of his Antiquities, entitled Indo-Scythica. Iosephus, in his first, sheweth what thought Berosus, Nicolaus Damascenus, and others very auncient concerning the Arke; but followeth the first opinion. The Poet contents himselfe here to signifie, and ex∣presse only in generall, some very high hill.

13. Now Noahs heart reioyc'd. From the end of the seuenth moneth to the end of the ninth (saith Moses) the waters began to abate daily more and more; and on the first day of the tenth moneth (that is, eight moneths and thirteene dayes after the Flood began) the tops of the hills appeared: so then already were the waters soonke aboue fifteene cubits. This fust made the Patriarke be of good hope. For after forty dayes, he opened the window of the Arke, and let goe the Rauen; which went and came, till the waters were dried from the surface of the earth. He sent out also a Doue to try if they were yet further abated; but the Doue not finding where to rest the sole of her foot, return••d vnto him againe into the Arke: for the waters were yet ouer the whole earth, and he reached out his band, and tooke her to him into the Arke. And when he had waited yet seauen dayes lon∣ger, he sent out the Doue againe, and in the euening shee returned vnto him, hauing in her mouth an Oliue-leafe, which shee bad plucked, &c. I haue recited the Text of Moses, whereupon the Expositors discoursing are wont to shew, wherefore Noah sent-out the Rauen and the Doue rather then any other birds: and why the Doue after the Rauen, and thrice. He knew full well the nature of these two was fit for the discouery; and went on with a discreet feare, attending, in all that he did, the manifest declaration of Gods will, touching his comming forth of the Arke. He had also a strong

hope and confidence in the goodnesse of God, now prouing the patience and constancie of his seruant; and strengthning him still more and more by those meanes of discouery. And although the Doue at last staid and re∣turned not vnto him; the waters being dayed from the earth; yet would he not come forth of the Arke, but contented himselfe to remoue the co∣uering thereof, and behold the dry land round about him; and staid so 27. dayes longer, expecting the will and pleasure of the same God, to call him out of the Arke, which commanded him to enter into it. A singular example of obedience and reuerence due vnto the Almighty. As for the rest, the ancient Diuines haue at large allegorized vpon this Doue and the Oliue leafe, for a token of peace betwixt God and his Church: as also vpon the resemblance, that this deliuerie hath, with our redemption by Iesus Christ. These are contemplations of good vse, whereof the Poet maketh a briefe in speaking of the Oliue. Here it may suffice to haue touched them in a word, and leaue the Reader to meditate thereupon. Whom I wish also to peruse the third chapter of the 1. Epist. of S. Peter, and see what the Apostle there saith concerning the correspondence of Baptisme and the Deluge.

14. Although the Flood. When Noe had patiently attended many dayes after the surface of the Earth began to waxe drie; God spoke vnto him (Gen. 8.15. &c.) saying, Come out of the Arke, thou and thy wife, and thy sonnes and their wiues with thee. Bring forth with thee euery beast that is with thee, of all flesh, both foule and cattell; and euery thing that creepeth and moueth vpon the earth. Then Noe came forth, and his sonnes, and his wife, and his sonnes wiues with him. Euery beast, euery creeping thing, and euery fowle; all that moueth vpon the earth, after their kinds, went out of the Arke; as it were out of a prison most noysome and deadly, but for the presence and singu∣lar fauour of the Lord, who preserueth both man and beast, as the Psalmist saith. Here are many things to be admired: Noe and all his come forth safe and sound; the beasts also come forth without preying one vpon ano∣ther; and they retire themselues to their seuerall haunts; their dens, nests, and places sit for them: and he retaineth what was requisite for sacrifice.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Dieu fait ces∣ser le deluge.
• * 1.2

  Pour cest ef∣fect il cōman∣de auxvents de faire retirer les caux & desse∣cher la terre.
• * 1.3

  Fin du deluge, & arrest de l'arche sur les montagnes d'Ararat.
• * 1.4

  Le corbeau mis hors l'ar∣che pour des∣couurir la terre La colombe à la seconde fois apporte au bec vn rameau d'o∣liuier signe de paix.
• * 1.5

  Noé ne vent sortir sans con∣mandemēt ex∣pres de Dieu qui l'auoit en∣clos en l'arche.
• * 1.6

  Il soit auec tout ce qui e∣stoit enserré de viuans auec luy.
• * 1.7

  God makes the flood to cease.
• * 1.8

  To that end com∣mands the winds to driue backe the water, and drie the earth.
• * 1.9

  The Arklanded.
• * 1.10

  The Rauen sent out to discouer.
• * 1.11

  The Doue sent out the second time brings an Oliue branch in signe of peace.
• * 1.12

  Noe comes not out of the Arke but by the com∣mandement of God who sent him thereinto.
• * 1.13

  He comes forth and all other li∣uing creatures that were with him.